For Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte, Malacañang's directive for voluntary masking in both the indoor and outdoor settings shows that the Philippines has "marched on" from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Villafuerte, majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), was referring to Executive Order (EO) No. 7, which was issued by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. last Oct. 28.
“With President Marcos’s prompt issuance of EO No.7, we are sending a loud message to the world that we have marched on from the almost three-year pandemic and that we have at last opened wide our doors to tourists and investors alike as a way to speed up our economy’s return to its pre-Covid high upward trajectory,” the veteran solon said.
In the EO signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the President said: "A policy of voluntary wearing of face masks in both indoor and outdoor settings is a step toward normalization and a welcome development that would encourage activities and boost efforts toward the full reopening of the economy.”
Last Sept.12, the Chief Executive issued EO No.3 on the voluntary use of masks outdoors.
Marcos, in EO No.7, said that masking will remain mandatory in healthcare facilities; medical transport vehicles; and air, land, and sea public transportation.
The President, also in EO No.7, encouraged mask wearing by senior citizens, immunocompromised individuals, persons with comorbidities, pregnant women, and unvaccinated people.
The latest EO coincided with the Department of Education's (DepEd) recent pronouncement that it would push through with its plan to make in-person classes mandatory in public schools beginning Wednesday Nov. 2.
Vice President Sara Duterte, who is the DepEd secretary, had earlier said that private learning institutions have option to carry out in-person teaching or a combination of face-to-face, blended, or online learning.
Meanwhile, Villafuerte called on the public to heed the President’s appeal in EO No.7 for people to continue observing minimum public health standards (MPHS) such as hand-washing; physical distancing; and maintenance of good ventilation, particularly indoors, to prevent Covid-19 infection.